While I hate camping (you show me a tent that isn’t damp and clammy when I wake up, and a way to pee in the middle of the night without worrying about bears, and then we’ll talk) but cabining is a different story—especially here on the West Coast, where you’ll find a modernist dream home in the woods every way you turn. Comfort, style, and a little hit of design cool: in my opinion, that combo is going to beat out s’mores and an air mattress every time.

I’ve got a connect-with-nature-but-not-really fantasy about getting myself a little piece of land on the Sunshine Coast and fashioning a getaway of my own. But in addition to not exactly having a spare few million lying around, I’m also pretty impatient…these sort of construction projects, especially in the middle of nowhere, can take years, and I want to practice whittling on a modern-chic patio nowwww.

Luckily, the Back Country Hut Company seems to be on my wavelength. The company, founded by Wilson Edgar and former Designer of the Year winner Michael Leckie in 2015, sells modular flat-pack cabins: literally a house-in-a-box that ships right to the build site. The Great Lakes Cabin, for example, starts at $200 per square foot (there’s an additional interiors fit-out which is optional, too).  And it’s designed to be inherently flexible, adaptable to a variety of landscapes and regulations.

It brings in a decidedly cottage-country vibe, taking its cues from its cues from the landscape of the Canadian Shield and the traditional lakeside structures of Algonquin.

Made from Canadian wood products, including Douglas Fir Glulam posts and beams, and topped with a metal roof, the Great Lakes Cabin features an open floor plan and a loft sleeping area beneath a pitched room. Custom insulated panels keep things toasty; next-generation building wrap keeps it dry.

It’s almost magic how a few packages can transform quickly into a 670-square-foot home-away-from-home, but it sounds like the perfect fit for this not-so-back-country girl. Pricing from $200 per square foot, order online at TheBackCountryHutCompany.com

Stacey McLachlan

Stacey McLachlan

Stacey is a senior editor at Western Living magazine, as well as editor-in-chief of sister publication Vancouver magazine. She loves window shopping on the job: send your home accessories and furniture recommendations over to [email protected]